Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
While I'm trying to refinish the ugly wood on my Rossi 454 Casull, I'm also working on a gun that's been in my family for years. It's been hanging on my wall for quite a while now. Its a Black Powder, approx 30 caliber ball, and made in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Its stamped Leman and has Pheasants engraved on it. The rifling looks pretty good. I got the urge to make this thing shoot again. My dad told me he last remembered it being fired in the late 30's. His father put a load of black powder in it, not knowing there was already one in it, and fired it.
Its at a friends machine shop and he's making a part to replace a broken one. After that I've got another guy lined up who'll make a brass ramrod for it. Once that's done, I'm gonna light load w/o a ball in it and test it, slowly increasing the grains to make sure it behaves. If it does okay, I'll light load it with a ball and work up. My hope is to get a video of me shooting it and email to my dad and his brother. I've gotten several of dads guns over the years, and I've come to the conclusion no one in this family ever cleaned their guns..lol That model 37 12 gauge was nasty, the 30-06 my dad bought when he was 12 for $8 took quite a few cleaning patches. Now that 257 Roberts with the scope wrapped up in a newspaper from 1954 was clean, AND came with a 20 round box of Peters ammo that was tagged $2.95....haha
The Leman is worth some serious money. Don't change anything on it or you won't be able to exchange it for a Mossberg .22 boltgun. I live in Pa. near where these guns were originally made and the "right" ones go for big bucks-----------Sixgun
Don't worry Sixgun, I'm not modifying it. I'm keeping the original parts, just replacing a broken one so that I can go shoot a gun last fired by my grandfather in the roaring 30's!! Yahoooooo!
DJ, I'd be real interested if you're able to follow up with us on how things go. I've got 2 muzzleloaders my dad bought in the N. C. mountains back in the 30's. I have never shot them though my oldest brother may have. My dad had 8 of these and gave 2 to each of us kids. I know my brother did shoot a couple of them successfully, but I don't know which ones. Dad's long gone and my oldest brother passed so I'm on my own as far as testing them out goes.
Look forward to hearing more.
T.
"A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast."
--Proverbs 12:10
Scrubbed out bugs and black powder and have the barrel prepped and waiting for the powder drums. One of the powder drums will be tapped for the cap nipple and then I'll have another one that I'll drill and tap myself so the nipple indexes underneath the hammer properly. Either way I'll have it covered. The barrel soaked in the tub and cleaned a lot out there, then I've run solvent, and a 30 caliber brush through the barrel and pulled about 60-70 patches through it. The barrel looks real good with a light in it considering how long its been around. To think someone was shooting this gun 150-160 years ago is pretty neat. My 16 year old daughter followed me around the gun room tonight asking question about the older guns and wanting to know if she can help make the bullets/balls for this gun. She liked the black powder stuff and the Uberti Cattleman with the case hardening.
FWIW I always assumed all those old muzzle loading rifles shot round balls because that's what I shot in mine. Several years ago I visited John Rice Irwin's Museum of Appalachia in Tenn. He has quite an extensive section there on guns and gun making. I noticed two things about the old muzzleloaders 1) they were all between .25 and .38 cal 2) a lot of the bullet moulds they had were for conical bullets.
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
This one shoots a round ball. I have the original bullet/ball mold from the 1800's. I melted some lead into it and they measure out about .293" diameter. I may order some .283" hard cast lead balls from "Track of the Wolf" and try them with a .010" lubed patch and see how it does.
and the Leman fires lead for the first time in 70 years. Here is about a minute and a half of video as I was working up the grains of powder slowly checking the gun out.
draperjojo wrote:and the Leman fires lead for the first time in 70 years. Here is about a minute and a half of video as I was working up the grains of powder slowly checking the gun out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3vU5uRhcO8
Now all you have to do is take it out and make meat. Another addict is born!
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession! AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
I live in Pa. near where these guns were originally made and the "right" ones go for big bucks-----------Sixgun
.
